The present invention relates to a scoop for sifting cat litter for the removal of waste therefrom. Approximately thirty to thirty-five percent of U.S. and European households have pet cats, the great majority of which live inside the home virtually as members of the family. The bathroom needs of these pet cats are typically accommodated by the "litter box", usually a plastic tray into which absorbent granulated clay litter is placed. The cats use the clay litter for elimination and covering of waste. Absorbent clay litter is the predominant material chosen by consumers for their litter boxes. It is readily available in all manner of retail outlets from the local supermarket to the pet shop.
Over the last 5 to 6 years, a new kind of clay litter has captured about forty to fifty percent of this absorbent clay cat litter market. This new clay litter is usually called "clumping" cat litter. It is typically made with clay of the bentonite variety. This kind of clay litter offers the unique feature of quickly forming durable "clumps" when wetted, as when a cat urinates upon it. These "clumps" are, on average, about the size of a flattened golf ball from a single cat urination. The clumps "set up" very quickly and become solid within about thirty seconds. These solid clumps are easily removed, leaving the rest of the litter bed clean and fresh. The result is better odor control, reduced quantities of litter used, and a more sanitary litter bed for the cats to use. It is usually necessary to scoop the litter pan twice daily.
Clumping litters vary in the strength of the clumps formed. Many form clumps that can break apart into smaller pieces. Houses with multiple cats can experience clump breakage because of cats walking on the clumps, disturbing the clumps when digging to cover a fresh elimination, or clumps may break up when being lifted out of the litter with a litter scoop.
The typical litter scoop in common use is a molded, plastic, slotted scoop with a handle. The scoop portion typically measures about four inches to five inches square or rectangular and has retaining side walls on the rear and the two sides. The side walls are typically one inch high. The front of the scoop is open. Both the bottom and the side walls are perforated with slots which make the scoop approximately fifty percent permeable to typical granulated clay cat litter. These slots allow the cat litter to sift through the bottom and the sides of the scoop and to fall back into the litter bed. Waste matter and clumps remain inside the scoop so they can be moved away from the litter box to a trash or waste receptacle. The slots in the typical litter scoop which allow for sifting of litter are typically long rectangular openings and the plastic grid structure elements which form the slots are typically rectangular in cross section. The slots are generally parallel and are oriented in the direction of the motion of the scooping action. The slotted bottom of the litter scoop may be flat, or it may be arcuate so as to conform to the arcuate motion typically used in the scooping of litter.
Typically, a cat litter pan will contain two to three inches of clay cat litter or clumping clay cat litter. Scooping out solid waste and/or clumps formed by clumping litter most typically requires a four step scooping action by the cat owner. First, one must insert the scoop into the cat litter and push the front end of the scoop down into the litter until it reaches the bottom of the litter pan. Then, one must push the scoop forward in and through the litter until the litter scoop is full. This action brings solid waste and/or clumps into the scoop. The fill scoop is then lifted upwardly, above the surface of the litter bed and tilted backwardly so that clumps or solid waste do not tumble off the front of the scoop. Finally, the scoop is jiggled and shaken so that the smaller litter particles in the scoop will fall back into the litter pan, leaving only clumps or solid waste in the litter scoop. The jiggling and shaking continues until no litter is left perched atop the slot grid members.
To provide a thorough litter box cleaning with the new clumping litters, it is necessary to sift through a large quantity of unsoiled litter to remove the clumped soiled litter. Consequently, a considerable amount of vigorous sifting action is required which is difficult for older cat owners and persons suffering from arthritis or other joint problems. It would be very beneficial if a cat litter scoop could be developed which made this task easier. The scoop of the present invention achieves this result.